Single serving aseptic (tetra-pak) boxes of low-fat milk (or soy or rice milk) are really convenient, either alone or with single-serve packs of a healthy brand of cold cereal or instant oatmeal. If she has access to a microwave in the hospital cafeteria or visitors' lounge, some healthy soups in that same kind of box would be nice ( a pretty, inexpensive microwaveable bowl could be part of the gift as well.) And I would probably visit a camping supply store as well and see what they have in the way of easy solutions for cleaning the dish, etc. Those places have things you never would think of if you didn't see them.

I think quick to eat snacks will be a great idea. I have a friend whose two children are in and out of hospitals all the time, and often it's 11pm and she's posting on facebook about how she's starving because she forgot to eat earlier when her daughter or son was awake (she doesn't like to leave them alone). Maybe bake some healthy granola bars she can eat? You could use the bulk bins at your grocery store and make your own trail mixes, or of course buy pre-made kinds. Pre-popped popcorn would be good too. Maybe even just a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Fruits that don't need refrigeration, like apples, oranges, and bananas. Oh, and bottled water! It can be expensive to buy it at the hospital, and it's nice to have a few bottles on hand in the room.

Also, this is not food related, but maybe a few magazines she can read, either fitness related, or ones like Real Simple or Martha Stewart Living.

Hi everyone! A friend of mine's baby is in the hospital for a number of days and I want to give her a gift basket to give her some love. She is a fit mom who loves to run...in fact she takes time out of caring for her little one to jog a few miles every day at the hospital. She is trying to make healthy choices with food but I'm sure that we all know that it's pretty lacking there. Please help me put together a gift basket that fitness/Clean based that won't cost me more than $40. Thanks! :)

SparkPeople, SparkCoach, SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkDiet, SparkAmerica, SparkRecipes, DailySpark, and other marks are trademarks of SparkPeople, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SPARKPEOPLE is a registered trademark of SparkPeople, Inc. in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. All rights reserved.

NOTE: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy last updated on October 25, 2013